Indian immigrants in 2004, according to Reuters, owned one half of the hotels in the United States. The Asian American Hotel Owners Association has more than 10,000 members owning more than 22,000 hotels with a total of $60 billion in property value. AAHOA is the largest membership-based Indian business organization in the United States
The 1965 Immigration Act opened the doors for many more Indian immigrants.
Indians got into the hotel business in the 1970s, when due to gas shortages Americans traveled less and hotel owners were willing to sell their properties for less. The buyers would invest $10,000 or $20,000 as a down payment in a hotel property worth about $100,000 to $120,000. Most of the Indian owners are from Gujarat state.
“The network gave them a business plan,” said one observer. “They didn’t need consultants. All a potential investor had to do was call up his uncle and ask, ‘How much should I pay and is this a good market?’.”
lower-budget (broadly defined) motel brands that Indian Americans commonly own include Comfort Inn, Days Inn, EconoLodge, Knights Inn, Sleep Inn, Super 8, and Travelodge, to name a few. Middle-budget motels include Best Western, Country Inn and Suites, Hampton Inn, and Holiday Inn (and Express).